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Education committee: Government ‘yet to prove case’ for new grammar schools

The MP who chairs Parliament’s influential education committee says the government has “yet to prove the case” for new grammar schools following an inquiry into ministers’ plans to expand selection in England.

Neil Carmichael says the government must demonstrate how opening new grammar schools will aid social mobility and improve education outcomes for all children after his committee warned the policy “would have effects throughout the education system”.

“The government has yet to prove the case for opening a new wave of grammar schools,” Carmichael said.

“The prime minister rightly talks of making Britain a great meritocracy. If the government wants to push ahead with new grammar schools it must demonstrate how this aids social mobility and improves educational outcomes for all, most especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

According to the committee, the policy aims set out by the government in its schools that work for everyone consultation “differ significantly from the characteristics of grammar schools of the past and present”, especially when it comes to closing the attainment gap.

MPs also want the government to demonstrate how the creation of new grammar schools will help close the gap in all schools, not just for individual pupils, and have called for a “thorough assessment” of the impact greater selection could have on all schools.

Caution should also be used “when making comparisons between high- and mixed-ability pupils at selective and non-selective schools”.

“It is important that, where comparisons are made, wider socio-economic issues are taken into account,” the report says.

Meanwhile, selection tests “should not be the only basis on which admissions to grammar schools are based”. The committee claims ministers have yet to demonstrate “how an admissions system could be designed in a manner which would be immune to gaming, or being reduced to the ability to pay”.

Carmichael, a noted grammar school sceptic, called the policy “an unnecessary distraction from the need to ensure all our young people are equipped with the skills to compete in the modern workplace”.

“A broadly skilled workforce is crucial to the future success of the UK economy,” he said. “If the government is committed to increased specialisation in our education system then they should spell out how this meets the aims of the industrial strategy and the goal of an economy that works for all.”

If there is no action or change following the publication of this paper then I personally believe that the purpose of ‘Select Committees’ must be questioned. Forgive me, but I am biased with an ‘informed view’ that expanding this isn’t a good idea for the majority of the people.

If there is no action or change following the publication of this paper then I personally believe that the purpose of ‘Select Committees’ must be questioned. Forgive me, but I am biased with an ‘informed view’ that expanding this isn’t a good idea for the majority of the people.

We know that this government is not interested in evidence if it counters with their ideology we have seen this over academisation (no different in quality yet large costs and growing corruption), over free schools (massive costs, failing schools, little accountability and failure in core of “parent driven) over performance related pay, over eBACC (significant drops in Arts and DT and consultation ignored), over teacher training (TF expansion with lowest satisfaction ratings and 3-4x the costs) over workload (consultation shelved) the list is extensive – so why should we expect any difference over the issue of grammar schools? – Another pet ideology. I expect that the normal favoured MATs will be opening them soon, the CEOs will give themselves another large pay rise, they will poach pupils from nearby comprehensive “proving” their quality.